Winter Guard
The Winter Guard is the Russian governments premier superhuman response team. The team is somewhat considered to be "Russia's answer to the Avengers", although their activities aren't always quite so morally clear. Stemming from the teams created by Soviet Russia, such as the Soviet Super-Soldiers, the People's Protectorate, and the Supreme Soviets, Winter Guard is an amalgamation of superhuman individuals and ideologies from those periods. They were created to represent Russia in a heroic like and have been re-established in recent years by S.I.C.K.L.E. Marvel 2000 History Lost and Found Joins: * Darkstar (Laynia Petrovna) * Red Guardian (Anton Shostakov) * Titanium Man (Boris Bullski) * Ursa Major (Mikhail Ursus) * Vanguard (Nikolai Krylenko) * Vostok (Leonid Dezhurov) After a mission gone awry assisting American superheroes in outer space, Vanguard was fatally injured and his sister, Darkstar, allowed for them both to be drafted into the Winter Guard to save his life. Whilst Vanguard continued to recover in the hospital, the Winter Guard was despatched – by the former agent known as Madame X – to an abandoned “science city” in Svelensk, Siberia. The team (comprised of Darkstar, Ursa Major, Red Guardian and Titanium Man) attended the scene to investigate but not without growing tension between Darkstar and the former Madame X. Armed with the security codes and bereft of information due to classifications, Darkstar and Ursa Major reconnected about their fear and anxieties of being under control of the Russian government. The team was forced to split up in their search, Darkstar and Red Guardian whilst Ursa Major hunted the floors with Titanium Man. A directory informed Darkstar and Red Guardian of a research project codenamed Starlight which seemed familiar to the heroine. Yet, the pair soon found themselves facing the subjects of Project: Scarab. Meanwhile, in the robotics labs, Titanium Man and Ursa Major found themselves seemingly facing the Latverian Monarch: Doctor Doom. As Titanium Man and Ursa Major battled against Doom, he was soon revealed to be an acquired Doombot they overcame. Meanwhile, Darkstar and Red Guardian continued their battle against the scarabs. Ursa Major’s curiosity led to an attack from an early, crude armour that resembled his former teammate Airstrike. A secret passage led Darkstar and Red Guardian to uncover the truth behind the science city’s energy spikes, Starlight and her handler, the Gremlin. Starlight, injured after her fall to earth, reached critical point and lost control as the Winter Guard acted to contain thedestruction she would cause. They proved successful and Svelensk was protected. * Gremlin (Kondrati Topolov) * Starlight (Tania Belinskaya) Omega Joins: * Fantasma (Liliya Tolstaya) As the Winter Guard have now found themselves associated with S.I.C.K.L.E., the Russian government’s answer to the United Nations-sponsored S.H.I.E.L.D., they attempt to settle in and understand their situation. Darkstar and Ursa Major’s connection seemed to leave her feeling confused as he recoiled from her touch. During another debrief, this time from new liaison and handler General Zaslon, the Winter Guard was dispatched to Khan Tengri, Kazakhstan to dismantle a former science city that was hidden there. Upon the arrival of the Winter Guard, the Russian heroes found themselves confronted by the Omega Clan – a Red Room created gathering of cyborgs that were based on the previous villain Arkady Rossovich. A fray immediately began. Fantasma and Vostok found themselves facing Omega White but as the synthezoid entered his mind, he discovered he was really Krassno Granitsky, the former Red Guardian. With the assistance of Vanguard, the current Red Guardian fought against his former lover, Sylvia Engel, who had become Omega Black. Although she seemed to have the upper hand, the two worked as a team to defeat her. Meanwhile, the new Omega Red battled against Darkstar, Ursa Major and Starlight. As Darkstar was almost killed, Ursa Major allowed himself to become the monster they’d feared and, with the assistance of Starlight’s radiation, Omega Red was defeated. Omega White was captured as the others escaped. Back aboard the Mothercarrier, the team faced some personal struggles. Ursa Major declared his love for Darkstar, and she reciprocated, but he pushed her away out of fear that her death in their line of work would destroy him. Gremlin had the task of informing Starlight that he believed her powers had given her cancer, and the pair set out to perform further tests. Fantasma offered a gift to Vostok for saving her as she used her magic to recalibrate his mind and bring the cosmonaut - Leonid Dezhurov - back into control, ending in a kiss. Membership Currently * Darkstar (Laynia Petrovna) * Fantasma (Liliya Tolstaya) * Red Guardian (Anton Shostakov) * Starlight (Tania Belinskaya) * Ursa Major (Mikhail Ursus) * Vanguard (Nikolai Krylenko) * Vostok (Leonid Dezhurov) Support Staff * General Zaslon (Toma Zaslon), S.I.C.K.L.E. handler * Gremlin (Kondrati Topolov), science advisor * Titanium Man (Boris Bullski), science advisor Formerly * Omega White (Krassno Granitsky Rossovich) Paraphernalia Transportation: S.I.C.K.L.E. Mothercarrier Appearances Marvel Fanfare * Marvel Fanfare #88-89, 94 Trivia * Winter Guard's Marvel 2000 history is a mixture of different writers ideas for the team: Travis Hiltz is the creative mind behind their Marvel Fanfare #88-89 appearance and Gavin McMahon is behind their appearance in Marvel Fanfare #94. Category:Marvel 2000 Teams Category:Russian Team